New Pokémon Snap recently announced a surprise free update that adds new Pokémon to take photos of and new maps to explore. Since the game already features so much content, an update was hardly expected, especially so soon after its launch in April. This announcement only makes it more clear that Animal Crossing: New Horizons needs a similarly large update, and soon.
While New Horizons has received plenty of updates, these have been pretty barren following the game's first year. The most recent major addition was the Mario update, but since then, little has been added outside of regular holidays. As a result, fan interest in the game has been dwindling. The developers have promised that more content is coming, but without further details, that information has brought little relief to fans.
As a casual and social multiplayer game launching at a time when many felt isolated from loved ones, New Horizons build up a creative community that loves to share content and ideas. But while the game did get some new features early on, since then, holiday updates have become standard, essentially re-adding the same events with a couple minor changes or new items. These don't need to be significantly different from one another, but they should be supplemented by meatier content updates that surprise -- and excite -- players.
Just as New Pokémon Snap's update surprised fans, New Horizons' next update should be both significant and a surprise. This will bring back the hype that has been sorely missing for a while now, compelling players to get back into the game. The best updates so far have focused on new features and events like swimming and fireworks, and future ones could add things like new villagers and islands to explore. Not only would this give the player more options to customize their islands, but it could add more to do in the form of mini-games.
New items or features for the Nook Phone could also keep players entertained by giving them new reasons to explore and find new creatures or buy new clothing. When a past update expanded the number of design slots, players were overjoyed to have more space for their creations. Similar additions could merit an even larger response and reignite that creative spark within players. Not every update needs to be groundbreaking, but showing players that the developers are listening will go a long way.
New Pokémon Snap's update is a reminder of how a game can revitalize itself by adding new content. Sadly, Animal Crossing: New Horizon's hasn't received the same amount of love recently, which is a shame given how huge the game was at launch, becoming something of a cultural event during a dark time. However, by adding more than just simple holiday updates and bringing fans the kinds of features they have been asking for, it's not too late for New Horizons to turn things around by convincing people to return to their islands.